Leveler for ditching or excavating machines.



Patented Oct. 3, was. w. B. nonnmnaa.

LEVELEB FUR DITCHING UR EXCAVATING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 3, I899.

W. B. DDDDRIDG E. LEVELER FOR DITGHING O R EXCAVATING MACHINES.

(A pplicvmon fileli Apr. 21, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

&w

(No Model.)

Wi'nasves.

11-4:- uoRms mas ca. Puoro-Lrma. WASHINGTUN. D. c.

UNITED STA S PATENT Orr-ice.

WILLIAM B. 'DODDRIDGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN PNEUMATIC RAILWAY DlTCI-IER AND GRADER COMPANY,

OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS.

LEVELER FOR'DITCHINGOR EXCAVATING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 634,166, dated October 3, 1899. Application filed April 21, 1899. Serial No. 713,922. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM B. DODD- RIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Levelers for Ditching or Excavating Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled to in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railroad-ditching machines; and it consists,substantially, in such features of improvement as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

The invention has reference more especially to that class of traveling ditchers employed for making ditches or trenches alongside of railroad-tracks and which are usually mounted upon a car or truck which is propelled along the rails by means of a locomotive or other engine. .\Vith this class of ditchingmachines it happens not infrequently that the surplus or loose material thrown up on the outer side or bank of the ditch by the scraper of the plow-car in the final travel or passage of the scraper falls back into the ditch by its own gravity or else is washed down on the occurrence of rain. This backward falling or sliding of the dirt is due to the fact that the scraper fails to throw the same far enough over the side of the bank and the dirt collects or is piled up right at the edge of the bank in a continuous hill or mound, as it were, with practically no break or angle With the side of the bank by which to give it the tendency either to remain where it is placed by the scraper or else to fall or be carried the other way.

The object of my invention is to provide means for leveling off the upper surface of the outside bank of the ditch in suchmanner that the surplus or loose dirt thrown thereon by the scraper will be given a tendency to fall away from the ditch, and also in such manner as to drain away the water from the roadbed and prevent the material from being washed back into the ditch. These and additional objects I attain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- 4 Figure 1 is a perspective View of a railway side-ditching machine, showing myimproved outside leveling device in connection therewith; and Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the same by which the construction and operation of my improved leveling device will be more fully understood.

Generally speaking, my improved outside leveling device as employed in connection with a ditching-machine comprises, substantially, a scraper which stands transversely to the ditch and is made to enter the material on top of the outside bank at any desired depth, and the same is so constructed that the dirt or material lifted or turned up thereby on the forward movement of the ditching-machine is moved forwardly and outwardly at an angle both to the side of the ditch and to the upper surface of the bank, so that an outwardly-descending grade or incline is imparted to the top of the bank, leaving a continuous welldefined shoulder or angle at the edge of the bank. As thus leveled off the tendency of the material is to fall outward and away from the ditch, while means are also afforded for draining off or preventing to a large extent the flowing of water either to the ditch or the road-bed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A Arepresent the rails of an ordinary railwaytrack and upon which is mounted to travel by means of the flanged wheels B B the car C of an ordinary ditching-machine, said car being propelled along the rails by a locomotive, (not shown,) as usual. Said car has mounted upon it the usual elements and appliances which contribute to the make-up of a complete ditching-machine; but no specific description will be given herein of any of said appliances, excepting such as may be found necessary to refer to in explaining the nature and operation of my present improvements, which latter I will now describe.

Pivot-ed to the side of the car, at about the longitudinal center thereof, is a beam D, the inner end of which is provided with a yoke a, having a tongue I) fitting between jaws c c of a coupler secured in a suitable housing beneath the car, a vertical pin or bolt'E being passed through openings formed in said tongue and jaws. Said beam is pivoted to the side of the car so as to have a swinging movement and to a limited extent a vertical movement, and the height of the outer end of the beam is regulated or adjusted vertically by means of a hoisting-cable F, having at its lower end a hook d, which engages with an eye 6 on the upper surface of the beam at a suitable distance from the outer end thereof. Said cable. F passes upwardly and over suitable guide-pulleys ff on the swinging crane G of the machine, and the raising and lowering of the beam can be effected in any suitable way, preferably by a compressed-air cylinder (see dotted lines, Fig. 1) on the under side of the car 0.

Secured to the front face or side of the beam D, at or nearthe outer end thereof, is aleveling scraper or shovel II, which, as shown, is bolted or riveted to the beam at 7L, or the same may be secured thereto in any other suitable way. This shovel or scraper is substantially rectangular in its general shape or outline and is formed with a vertical portion or back i, projecting above the beam, and a lip or blade portion j, extending forwardly of the beam at orbelow the under side thereof. The two portions of said scraper intersect or join each other, preferably in a curve 70, and from the inner to the outer end thereof the curve gradually deepens, so that as shown at Z in Fig. 2 the blade portionj inclinesdownwardly and outwardly with respect to the beam, and consequently the said blade portion takesinto the earth m in the bank to a gradually-increasing depth outwardly. To produce the construction of scraper described and shown, I simply curve or bend the blade from the vertical portion on a line substantially parallel with the longitudinal edges thereofand I then secure the same to the beam at the necessary outward and downward inclination.

Connecting the beam at n a suitable distance beyond the point of attachment thereto of the hoisting-cable F is one end of a brace and draft rod J', that may be adjustable, if desired, and the other end of which is connected in any suitable manner with the forward end of the car 0, and connecting the outer end of beam D with the rearward end of the car is a guyor steadying cable M. It will be seen from this arrangement that by the resistance offered by the dirt to the shovel the beam and shovel will be held closely to their work while the car is propelled along the track-rails by the locomotive.

The plow-scraper having made its final passage through the ditch for the purpose of throwing up the loose or surplus dirt or material onto the bank, the beam D, with its shovel, is properly attached to the side of the car, and the beam is turned or adjusted so as to incline slightly toward the rear of the car, and consequently the endwise penetration of the dirt by the shovel. is at an angle to the side of the moving car, whichcauses the material to be discharged beyond the outer end of the shovel away from the side ofthe ditch. It will be seen that if the beam is brought truly horizontal the forward penetration of the dirt by the shovel will be at a depth corresponding to the height of said beam; but by raising or lowering the outer end of the beam by the hoistingcable such forward penetration can be adjusted to any degree or depth desired.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific means herein employed, since various changes can be resorted to in practice without departing from my invention. For instance, instead of employing my outside leveling device with an entire ditching-machine the same could be attached to the side of a simple car and still be operated for the purpose intended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is' 1. In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same comprising a beam suitably supported at one end to the side of the car, and having a shovel or scraper connected to and carried upon said beam at or near the other end thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same compris ing a beam supported to swing from the side of the car, a shovel or scraper connected to and carried upon said beam at or near the other end thereof, substantially as described.

In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same comprising a beam supported to swing from the side of the car, a shovel or scraper connected to and carried upon said beam at or near the end thereof, and means for giving the beam and the shovel or scraper a rearward inclination to the line of travel of the car, substantially as described.

4. In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same comprising a beam supported to swing from the side of the car, a shovel or scraper connected to and carried upon said beam at or near the end thereof, and means for adjusting the position of said beam to regulate the depth of penetration of the shovel or scraper, substantially as described.

5. In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same comprising a beam supported from the side of the car, a shovel or scraper secured to and carried upon said beam near the outer end thereof and having a downwardly-projecting portion that gradually increases in depth toward the outer end thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a ditching-machine, a leveler for the outside bank of the ditch, the same comprising a beam supported to swing from the side of the car, a shovel or scraper secured to said beam at or near the outer end thereof and consisting of a vertical portion and a forwardly-projecting portion, said portions intersecting each other substantially in a curve of increasing depth outwardly, substantially as described.

7. In a ditching-machine, the combination With the movable car, of a beam pivoted to the side thereof and having a vertical and a horizontal movement, draft and guy cables connecting the outer end of said beam with the front and rear ends of the car, a hoistingcable also connected to the outer end of the beam, and a shovel or scraper secured to said beam and comprising a vertical portion and a forwardly-projecting portion, said portions joining or intersecting each other substantially in a curve of increasing depth outwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE. Witnesses:

F. W. IRLAND, G. A. HAGOR. 

